Photography by James Wood
It’s always easier to make upgrades when a car is apart, right? While getting ready to build a new engine for our LS-powered RX-7–the old one went boom–we ordered some new Haltech hardware, going with the full suite featuring the Nexus Rebel ECU, PD16 PDM, IC-7 Dash and CAN Keypad. These should provide seamless setup and integration offered by a single ecosystem.
[My goal: Drive the car back onto the trailer. My reality?]
The Rebel ECU promises an intuitive interface that should make this a turnkey install. Plus, we’ll get helpful features like real-time tuning, quick setup and easy data logging. The ECU even includes the harness for our LS.
Power distribution modules have become today’s standard for managing and powering all the electrical accessories in a race car. In the RX-7, it’s going to replace the fuse box and power things like taillights, brake lights, turn signals, headlights, a cooling shirt and underglow. (Hey, it’s an ’80s thing.)
Haltech says that its IC-7 display is aimed at classic setups–perfect for our FC-chassis Mazda RX-7 chassis. The full-color, 7-inch display looks easy to install in our analog classic. The CAN Keypad will serve as the new switch panel. The buttons will start the car and turn on fans, fuel pumps, lights and more.
We also ordered a WB1 Bosch - Single Channel CAN O2 Wideband Controller Kit and TCA-8 Eight Channel Thermocouple Amplifier to monitor EGTs for each cylinder. More on the install, plus the engine build, coming soon.
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